Outlines
by I am Dianthus Nera
Summary: It's her last year in High School and Aisha returns to Velder after receiving a scholarship from the town's renowned academe. There's a slight problem though - Velder is a place filled with memories she regrets. When the year ends, she's adamant about forgetting her roots and moving on. But what if she finds love along the way? AU.
1. Best Served Cold

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Elsword. I only own the pseudonyms Dianthus Nera (please see profile for explanation) and Haley Moonstone.

Before reading this, I would like to emphasize that this fan fiction takes place in an alternate reality – far from Elsword Online. I still hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I had fun typing it down.

 **OUTLINES CHAPTER 1 – BEST SERVED COLD**

The bus hissed to a stop, jolting Aisha out of her sleep. Mist had formed on the windows because of the weather. It was raining, and that was more than enough to clarify that Sander's bright sunsets were well behind her back at this point. She will miss it there, even if the heat of the summer days managed to stress her out sometimes.

Most of the passengers at the very back of the bus were already leaping off so Aisha decided it was finally her turn. She wished she could just bribe the driver into taking her back but this was really the end of her journey. Might as well get it over with. The girl sighed and grabbed her duffel bag before standing up. She hurled it towards the door – it wasn't quite heavy but it did pack some weight. She took three steps before allowing it to drop on the concrete pavement with a thump.

The smell of wet grass met her lungs and the slightest drizzle began to fall from the dark, grey skies above her. She remembered this vaguely, only it didn't feel this serene. The cold droplets came in contact with her skin, streaking down her cheeks like tears.

"Home sweet home," she mumbled.

She turned around and thoroughly scanned the advertising on the side of the bus. "Cobo Travel and Tours!" it said. That was actually one of the best travel agencies in the country. Maybe if she finally settled down in life, she would use up her savings to explore the rest of the world. She stared at the colorful images of different places until the bus finished unloading. The vehicle hissed to a start and drove away. Her former companions immediately dispersed the area, leaving her waiting in a bus stop for no one in particular.

A cold breeze slowly swept into the neighborhood. The rain drops pelted down faster. Aisha didn't waste a second in grabbing her duffel bag and taking shelter underneath the bus stop. Some people consider it a blessing to be welcomed by rain. Blessing or not, this was really inconvenient for her.

"Of all the damned days, why today?" She whispered. Good thing her duffel bag was water-proof. Thankfully, there was also a small umbrella inside. That was a doable shield against the water wonderland that surrounded her. All she had to do was wait for the rain to slow down a bit.

Aisha whisked around and eyed the board behind her. A few minutes ago, she didn't even realize that it existed. There was only one poster pinned to the corkboard behind it. It was designed in white and orange, with characters that appeared in the foreground and black text that screamed "Warmest Greetings from Velder High!"

Yeah. Warm. The irony of that statement… She ignored the thought and stared at her reflection instead. Faint black circles had formed beneath her purple eyes. Her equally purple hair had gone askew but it looked good even if some strands were framing her face in ways she did not intend. She looked pale and that was just the least of her worries.

The rain continued to drum into the aluminum roof of the shed. Be that as it may, the drops seemed less tumultuous than earlier. Aisha concluded it was the perfect time to leave. She bent down and unzipped the duffel bag, revealing the purple folding umbrella inside. She set it aside and closed her bag, making sure it was sealed. She opened her umbrella as she stood up, keeping its handle firm within her grasp. She looked at the downpour, slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and charged.

The rain was unforgiving and yet she continued to walk slowly. Some parts of her clothes were already getting soaked. So much for staying dry for at least five minutes…

Aisha managed to keep her duffel bag close to her as she passed rows and rows of houses – most of which were uniform in size and shape. She made a turn towards a very familiar street. Already, the nostalgia was creeping back into her. It had been three years since she last sauntered down this pavement. The trees leered down at her like gargantuan beasts. There was no one about. Occasionally a dog would bark at her or a cat would run towards the opposite direction. Who lets their pets out on a storm like this, anyway? How irresponsible.

With each passing street, the houses proceeded to get smaller and smaller – like matryoshka dolls. Aisha quickened her pace because her clothes were starting to stick to her skin. She couldn't wait to dry up. #80 El Street was her address. That was about a block and a half away.

"This sucks." Aisha checked her shoulders only to find that they were completely soaked. _I should have stayed in the waiting shed._

She broke into a run even if she was afraid of slipping. Her sneakers were comfortable enough to give her better movement anyway, even if the rain had soaked them to the point that even her socks were wet. She wasn't holding her umbrella at the correct angle anymore so she was getting drenched. To hell with the cold. She just wanted to get to her house so that her adjustment period could begin. Apparently, she was so absorbed by this thought that she nearly tripped on a tree root which had sprawled itself across the concrete pavement. Thankfully, she didn't fall. _Freaking tree root! Freaking tripping hazard!_

Her sneakers splashed across puddles as she slowed down. All this running was exhausting her further. God knows she was never the athletic type. Looking around, she noticed she had already arrived at her destination. At this point, the foreboding dusk was even more prominent as the streetlights blinked on. She could see the front lawn of her house. As she walked closer, she realized the many factors that made it very distinguishable among the others. There was a "sold" sign waiting to be uprooted. The grass needed mowing. The tree still had a tire swing – probably already housing mosquito eggs because of the neglected water inside Leaves were all over the roof. Fortunately, it seemed someone with a kind heart had raked the lawn. The place still looked cozy despite its unkempt exterior.

Aisha adjusted her grip on the umbrella as she walked on the stone pathway that ultimately led to the wooden door. At that instant, the outlines of her past began to pop up in her mind. She could remember her old self – now dead in her memories – as a fragile girl who always hesitated before opening the door. Every damned day, she would hear her parents fight – about the bills, about the electricity, about who was more responsible and about her.

" _You gave me a daughter, woman!"_

" _If you didn't get me pregnant, that girl wouldn't be here and I wouldn't even be your wife!"_

Aisha sighed. Her parents were among the outlines as well. And as much as she wanted to love them, her bitterness made them the subject of her hatred. Aisha casted her gaze towards the door knob. When her fingertips came in contact with the cold brass, she inserted the key into the keyhole and turned. One slight push was all it took for the door to creak open. Aisha's hands instinctively searched for the light switch and she managed to flick it on without even looking.

As she paced into her home, Aisha folded her umbrella and scanned the entire place. It smelled like old books. Tomorrow, she'll have to shop for air fresheners or something, even if she somewhat liked the scent. Her footsteps echoed as she walked. Most of the furniture were placed exactly as they left them, save for the fact that there were no family pictures present.

Aisha dropped her duffel bag on the floor and removed her sneakers. She crouched down, then proceeded to open her baggage. She took out a pair of rubber slippers, which were currently wrapped in plastic, and immediately tore the cover apart. She wore them and approached the couch. She sank into the leather, allowing her palms to feel its coolness. She stared at her reflection on the flat-screen TV in front of her. The landlady assured her it worked but she didn't bother turning it on. She looked absolutely worn out. "Welcome home, Aisha."

Reestablishing the fact that she wasn't exactly dry, she walked back to her duffel bag and dug up a red skirt and a blouse. She hurried to the bathroom and slipped them on before returning to the couch.

As much as she wanted to rest, her mind was going through a lot. Maybe in a few weeks, she'll find solace within the four walls of her household. That luxury certainly wouldn't exist now. There was also the fact that she'd be starting school in less than a week at Velder High itself – the extravagant academy that came in the form of a palace-like structure. Oh what would her parents say if they found out she was going to study there? Not that they actually cared but the thought itself was thrilling. She didn't know how the school got her address at Sander, but she was still summoned to be one of the beneficiaries of their scholarship program. It's one of the reasons why Velder High remains popular – they offered scholarships, sponsored by huge companies, to gifted people. It was a little late for the invite though… This was her last year in high school. Aisha had promised to do her best because this particular institute had the best connections to Hamel University. It'd better be worthwhile.

The rain outside had quieted and all Aisha could hear was pitter-patter. She thought of the things she really needed – a laptop, an internet connection, and food. The latter two would be a problem if she doesn't find a part-time job to sustain her. Maybe she could hit a nearby café and ask them if they're hiring. 200 ED an hour would be a decent salary.

"Gosh I have so much to worry about," Aisha said to no one in particular.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

The sound of someone knocking on the old wooden door reached Aisha's ears in a millisecond. She wasn't expecting visitors, especially since she just moved in.

"Who is it?" She called, feeling slightly nervous.

"Hi! It's your neighbor, Rena!" A chirpy voice retorted.

Aisha walked towards the door and opened it slightly. What greeted her was a tall blond girl with olive-green eyes, staring down at her from her doorstep.

"Hi... Uhm… Rena… I'm Aisha… Pleasure to meet you…"

Rena smiled. "I was going to invite you and your family over for dinner. Are your parents here?"

Aisha didn't know whether she should talk to this girl, let alone accept the invitation to dinner. She had never met this stranger before! Truth be told, if she encountered someone from before, she would recognize them. This one was a new face entirely – and a beautiful one at that. Aisha was aware that she had to start making friends in the neighborhood ASAP but getting killed in the process was not a part of her plan.

"Uhm… I'm kind of alone now so—I can't…"

The girl – Rena – grimaced. She looked genuinely hurt. "I see… Well that's embarrassing… I just wanted to get to know my neighbors a bit more…"

Aisha bit her lip. What if she wasn't a serial killer in disguise? Maybe she really just wanted to have dinner. _Oh for god's sake! Take the leap, Aisha! This is an opportunity to make new friends!_ Aisha stepped outside and clung to Rena's wrist. "W-Wait!"

The blond girl was taken aback by the action. She stopped dead on her tracks – not that she had taken a full step anyway.

"W-What time would it be?"

Rena smiled. "Since you're all by yourself, would you like to come over now?"

Aisha's eyes glimmered at this newfound opportunity. "Yes!"

Okay, so maybe she was a little bit too trusting and naïve, but women do have their "intuition". In this case, Aisha found Rena to be trustworthy and kind. Even as the said girl led her to the doorstep of her house, she wore this welcoming smile. Her features displayed honesty, most of all. Aisha had a feeling they would become great friends.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Rena stated as she opened the door.

The smell of pine greeted her the moment she stepped in. The entire ambience of the face felt nice. There was harmony in the way all the furniture and décor were placed. A lot of thought probably went in the placement. It was absolutely gorgeous.

"Please sit," Rena stated, gesturing to the brown fabric sofa.

Aisha obediently propped herself down. She eyed the glass table in front of her, and the little chandelier above. "Your house is beautiful… It would be a tad humiliating for me if I let you visit mine…"

The girl laughed at the comment. "Come on… Your house isn't that bad. The front lawn needs a little mowing, that's all."

Aisha rolled her eyes. "Trust me, that's the least of my problems right now…"

Rena fell quiet for a second and Aisha glanced back to see where she went. The girl disappeared into the kitchen for a bit and came back. "You wouldn't mind a vegetarian meal for tonight, would you?"

"You should have warned me," Aisha joked. "No, I wouldn't mind at all… I'm famished as heck. I would love to munch on cabbages right now."

"I hope you're not being sarcastic."

"Why should I be? It was a bit unexpected but I'm cool with it… Yay for veggies!"

Rena was practically grinning. "To be honest, it's the first time inviting someone over for dinner… I didn't exactly know how to explain that I was a vegan…"

"Now I feel sort of guilty that I declined your invitation at first."

"No worries," Rena stated. "I'm probably the worst person ever to invite you over at such a wrong time. I mean, you must be tired from the journey." There were a few clinks and clanks that accompanied her voice. Aisha guessed that she was fumbling with utensils – or preparing the torture room or something. She should seriously stop watching shows about cannibal psychiatrists and stuff.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not that tired or busy anyways," Aisha stood up. "I'll help set the table. It's rude of me to just sit around."

Rena appeared once again, holding four plates along with knives, forks and spoons on top. "You're not being rude… Thank you, Aisha."

"Are you expecting other guests?" Aisha asked as she took two plates from Rena and began distributing them on the table.

"Well… Not really," Rena stated. "I live with my boyfriend. I asked him to get some salad dressing a while ago. He probably left a few minutes before you arrived."

"I see…" Aisha stared at the two extra plates. "So… You have a kid?"

Rena laughed. "No… I'm just assuming that he's bringing a friend back here with him. No one takes this long to buy a bottle of salad dressing."

Aisha chuckled. "Point taken…"

Rena was about to say something again but she stopped when she heard the sound of a car closing in on the drive way. In a moment, the sound died down. Two car doors opened and shut almost simultaneously. This was followed by a rhythmic beep and two knocks.

"They're here!" Rena exclaimed. She didn't wait a second before answering the door. "Raven!" She greeted the man on the doorstep with a hug.

The man paced inside and Aisha couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated by his features. Sure he was the tall, dark and handsome type. He looked like an ex-delinquent who did a bit of soul-searching. Still, he was quite the looker. Aisha couldn't help blushing when she saw him.

"Raven, this is our neighbor," Rena gestured toward the purple-haired girl. "Her name's Aisha."

Aisha waved nervously. "Hi!"

Raven smiled at her. His lanky build easily overshadowed her smaller frame. He extended a hand toward her and she took it, resulting in a very awkward handshake. "Nice to meet you, Aisha."

"Aisha?" A very familiar voice resonated from the doorway.

Raven glanced back. "You know her Elsword?"

"I'm not quite sure if I do," The other guy retorted with a tone of sarcasm. And yes, she knew that name better than anyone.

Elsword – the little kid who had so much potential as a jock. He was her former friend and at the same time, her enemy. He was more of the latter anyway. Whereas she excelled in academics, he excelled in athletics. However, he was two years younger than her and much more immature. They used to run into each other a lot and yell (mostly) harmless insults – until he hurt her pride by mentioning her family's condition. He apologized but it was useless. She disappeared the next day. She was fifteen back then. With the not-so-peaceful manner of living she experienced, she just had to get away especially since the only friends she had in the world were using her misfortunes against her.

"Hello Aisha, welcome back to Velder," Elsword said, rather sarcastically. "Last time I saw you, you were so desperate to leave."

God, she couldn't bear to look at him. He sounded almost the same. His voice was certainly deeper but kind of cool-sounding. She was so curious about his appearance but she just couldn't bring her face up. "Bet you missed me, tomato head!"

"You know what? I kind of did – in your dreams!"

Aisha couldn't react to that one. Instead, her head snapped upward and her eyes immediately landed on him. If her jaw could drop, it would have. He was a few feet away from her. Right now, even with the slight distance, he towered over her easily. She would also be lying if she said she didn't find him attractive because – damn – puberty had been kind to him. He still had the same red hair and the burning gaze everybody talked about. Though the way he stood was completely different– like he had fought battles while she wasn't around.

"Aww. Is poor Aisha at a loss for words?"

"Quit flattering yourself." Aisha folded her arms across her chest.

"There's the signature move," Elsword stated, patting her on the shoulder. "Come on. You should eat. You got thinner." He pinched her right cheek.

"Stop that!"

"Make me!"

"Guys, simmer down," Rena suddenly interjected in an attempt to pacify the two.

"Don't stop them. This is kind of amusing," Raven said, poker-faced.

"We're about to have dinner so simmer down!"

The entire house quieted.

Rena sighed. "Gosh, I wasn't expecting this… You two could start a riot."

"Sorry about that," Aisha said. "How embarrassing. The situation would've been a lot better if it wasn't for this guy."

Elsword rolled his eyes. "Wow. And here I was thinking you're the mature one."

"That's enough Elsword! Be a wee bit more hospitable to Aisha," Rena stated.

"Yes, boss!" Elsword stated, drawing out the vowels.

Aisha and Rena took a seat next to each other, thank goodness. Raven and Elsword began picking at the vegetables the moment they sat down. Everyone was wordless at first. Only the sound of chinking tableware could be heard.

Rena tried to lighten the mood by starting a conversation. "So… Aisha. Do you need help with your front yard? We could assist you…"

"Yeah, I'd hate to say this but I could use a bit of help. I lack enough time to clean the place. School starts in three days and I still have to present my documents."

"You're going to Velder High, aren't you?" Raven chimed in.

"Why yes. It's the main reason why I transferred back here," Aisha said.

"Wow, I couldn't imagine schooling at Velder High…" Rena stated whisperingly. "It looks so prestigious and classy."

Elsword cleared his throat. "It's not all that."

"It still has connections to Hamel University. When I received their offer for a scholarship, I couldn't turn it down," Aisha stated, recollecting the moment she picked up the letter from her mailbox.

"Who's sponsoring you?" Raven asked.

"Sandtilus incorporated," Aisha replied. "I still don't know how they manage to track people down. It's kind of scary."

"You deserve it though," Rena smiled again.

"Yeah. Congratulations," Elsword stated bluntly before chugging down a glass of water. "You might be seeing plenty of me so… I hope you're happy with that decision."

Aisha took a sip from her glass of water. "I hope so too…"

Seeing him every day wouldn't hurt. Even if he still ranks number one on her must-hate list.


	2. A Warm Welcome

**CHAPTER TWO – A WARM WELCOME**

Aisha felt the sun sting her eyes the moment she woke up. The smell of old books greeted her next. She turned and lifted her pillow so that it covered her face. She was definitely not in the mood for getting up and facing the day. The coolness and softness of the pillow was more than enough to discourage her. She had to arrange her belongings, head to the mall to buy necessary supplies and, of course, find the perfect job. Aisha wasn't pining for anything special – she could be a cashier at a café for all she cared. What she needed was something that could help her cover her electricity bill and other school needs. But right now, she didn't want to worry about anything. She just wanted to sleep some more.

That is, until her cellphone's alarm started blaring. And here she was, thinking she could propose to her bed and marry it.

She groggily hefted herself up and looked at the time before dismissing the repetitive rings with a single swipe. Seven freaking am – an ungodly hour for any student who's enjoying what's left of the summer. Aisha wiped the sand out of her eyes and stretched. Glancing at the window, she realized that the front yard still needed a makeover. She groaned at the thought. Rena had offered to help her, but that was kind of embarrassing right now. The girl was still a total stranger to her. They didn't even ask more personal questions the night before because of the dramatic tension caused by a certain tomato head. What if she sees him again today? What are the odds? He and Rena were friends after all. The thought lingered in Aisha's head even as she got off the bed and took a bath.

Her skin smelled like strawberries the moment she got out. She was more excited about dressing up and looking presentable now. The contents of her duffel bag had been stuffed inside an old cabinet that reeked of rat poison. After mastering the art of digging, she managed to grab a skirt, a white blouse and a dress-jacket with bunny ears attached to the hood. She smiled at the ensemble and wore them. Her sneakers weren't soggy anymore, but they felt cold when she slipped them on. She sprayed cotton candy perfume before heading outside.

The tree was shedding again and leaves poured down like a waterfall above her. She started a leisurely stroll on the pavement towards the bus stop. Much to her surprise, Raven and Elsword were talking on the doorstep of Rena's house. Why were they up this early? But even more importantly, what's the redhead doing here? She quickly averted her gaze and chose not to meddle in the conversation. That was the most appropriate thing to do.

"Aisha!"

 _Goddammit Rena._

"Would you like to join us for breakfast?! Elsword's sister isn't around so he'll be joining us too!"

 _Why sure, Rena! I'd love to! You'd have to kick out the meathead first though. Animals like him don't sit at the table._

"I'll just eat breakfast at Grail's… I used to go there with—" Aisha's face paled. She used to go there with Elsword and the other friends she once had. Even back then, they would throw insults at each other.

At this, Elsword smirked. "Why don't we all go there right now?"

"B-But Rena might be preparing something already!" Aisha argued. "Right Rena?"

Rena shook her head. "Actually I was just preparing the steamer. I haven't cooked anything yet!"

Raven thought for a moment. "Yeah. Rena could just have one of their signature vegan dishes so eating there won't be a problem."

Aisha threw a glare at Elsword. He returned it with another one of his little smug smiles. He had certainly grown out of his overly obnoxious grin and all. Maybe he _was_ turning into a gentleman. If that's the case, his transition was slow as heck.

Rena jumped up. "I'll get dressed right now!"

Aisha folded her hands again. She sighed before a pair of fingers latched themselves on her cheeks again, pinching them slightly. "You should really start getting along with your neighbors, Ai."

Aisha glared at him. "You're not making it easy."

"Nothing in life is ever easy," Elsword stated. "You know that better than I do."

Aisha looked up at him, rather surprised at his statement. Instead of saying anything, she just folded her hands across her chest. "Hmph."

"Thanks to me, you wouldn't have to eat breakfast alone. Also, Rena and Raven like you," Elsword stated. "I don't think it's a good idea to just bail out on them like you used to with the rest of us before."

Aisha frowned. "You don't know me, Elsword. And for the record – I still hate you."

Elsword laughed. "Okay, grapehead."

Aisha suddenly felt her cheeks flame when she heard his laugh. Man did it bring back a lot of good and bad memories. Most of all, it made her feel awkward. Like her insides were disintegrating rapidly and there was nothing she could do about it. Elsword has had that effect on her. It made her hate him even more. "Stupid, ugly El-dork."

She could practically feel another smirk casted towards her. "What did you say, Ai? I couldn't hear you over how tall I am."

Aisha tried to come up with a smart remark but failed, partly because Raven had started the car and partly because Elsword was actually already a head taller than her. Why do kids like him grow up so quickly anyway? How unfair could the world be? If only the gods above blessed her with at least three more inches, she'd actually have more bragging rights but no – at 5 foot 1, she fell a few centimeters down into the "short girl" category.

"Come on Els! Ai! Stop flirting with each other and get in the car!" Rena chirped behind them.

"We're not flirting!" Aisha barked back.

"Whatever you say, Grapehead. You were clearly trying to make a move on me."

"SHUT UP!"

Aisha walked towards the car but somewhere midway, she turned around and stuck a tongue out at Elsword who was trailing behind her without expecting to see the sudden childish mockery. In reaction to this, he merely sighed and uttered a few words – "You've never changed, Ai. By the way, you should wear your perfume more often. I like the scent."

She was rather surprised at his upfront remark. Even as she entered the back seat with him by her side, she couldn't deny the sudden rush of blood to her cheeks.

That was really flattering.

….

The smell of coffee was intoxicating. Aisha closed her eyes and basked in the scent. Boy did she miss this place. The countable number of people, the jazz music that played on a low volume in the background, the theme of the café that reminded her of a certain boy wizard and so on… There were a lot of qualities that made Grail's the number 1 place to visit in Velder, aside from the mall of course.

Aisha's hands clasped as if romantically swooning over the aroma of caffeine. "This place still smells the same."

"We'll go ahead and look for seats," Rena suggested. She, Raven and Elsword ventured into the dining area.

When Aisha's eyes explored the café, she remembered things that made this her palace of comfort – nobody she completely disliked ever bothered her here. She just enjoyed the coffee, mingled with "friends" and of course, exchanged remarks with Elsword. Being here made her more comfortable with the fact that she was in Velder.

Everyone, aside from that dumb brat, had probably forgotten about her anyway.

"Ayyyyeeeeeeeeeee!" Someone screeched. "This girl! You're actually back here!"

A short guy named Grail stood at the counter. He spoke with a peculiar accent – almost Swedish. His hair was so white, one could mistake it for dog hair. His blue eyes would attentively drift across the café but right now, they were fixed at her. He was holding his old pipe again. He usually held it away from his mouth whenever he spoke and he popped it back in whenever he got the chance. He loved to smoke. Sometimes, in the wee hours of the afternoon, the café would smell like pipe tobacco because of his addiction. Not that Aisha minded.

"Hi Grail!" Aisha waved.

Grail smiled. "I was always waiting for you to arrive. Every day, I waited… Like a loyal dog. I watched the door every hour to make sure I didn't miss a single person. Then this woman came in and said that you and your family left Velder."

"We did…" Aisha said. "It's kind of a long story, actually."

"Tis a bad place, this town," Grail stated. "Full of inner demons. Everyone has one. You're lucky to have left it for a short while. I did miss you though. One less intelligent human being in Velder is one too many."

Aisha glanced and threw an evil smirk at Elsword who, in return, stuck a tongue out against her.

"Thanks for the compliment Grail. I'll tell you everything when the time comes. I'll have to join my friends now… I'll come back and tell you our orders later," Aisha said.

"Alright, young one. I'll look forward to our chat."

Aisha nodded and skipped to the nearby table for four where Rena and the others were seated. By then she already knew what to order – waffles and a hot cup of Cappuccino. She just didn't want to act like a total jerk by blurting it out at the counter without waiting for them.

"So… what would you guys like?" Aisha said, standing.

"Are you a waiter all of a sudden?" Elsword let out a strained laugh.

"I'm just asking, El-dork."

"Fine, fine," Elsword stated. "You should sit. I'll be the one telling Grail about our orders."

"For the record, I love their menu!" Rena stated as her eyes pored over a laminated vellum board consisting of all the wonderful stuff they could eat. "I'll have a tofu omelet please!"

"Their classic breakfast burrito for me." Raven said. "And coffee. Espresso will do."

"I'll have waffles and a cappuccino," Aisha told Elsword. "Don't order the same food for both of us." He used to do that a lot. His only excuse was that he liked the same thing.

"Will do, captain," He winked.

Aisha could swear her heart skipped a beat when he did that. A wink was a bad sign, right? Elsword never winked! He had all these pubescent behaviors that prevented him from doing "flirty" acts like – need she say it again – winking!

Aisha took the seat next to the empty chair that belonged to Elsword.

"Aisha your face is all red," Rena commented.

"Are you lovesick?" Raven said.

The girl's eyes widened in shock, but she could feel her face get even redder. She waved her hands in front of her. "Oh no, no, no. It's nothing. I just feel a bit… hot. They need to fix the air conditioners here."

"But they're working fine," Rena stated, looking around.

"You have a crush on Elsword, don't you Aisha?" Raven stated, with a half-smile adorning his features.

"Who has a crush on what?" Aisha tried to question him as calmly as she could. In her head, she was already screaming the words: _WHO HAS A CRUSH ON WHAT?!_

Rena brought a hand to the side of her face. "Oh it's okay for you to admit it Aisha. It's actually kind of obvious."

 _OBVIOUS?!_

"You've got it all wrong," Aisha argued.

"You're in denial." Rena chuckled. "But we won't push you…"

Aisha shook her head. "I don't have a crush on anybody. I haven't even spent 24 hours in the neighborhood and you're already accusing me of such things. "

Elsword suddenly occupied the seat next to Aisha. "Orders won't arrive until fifteen minutes. What are you guys talking about?"

Rena chuckled. "It's nothing, Elsword…"

"Okay…" Elsword glanced at Aisha. "I ordered waffles. Same as yours. I was kind of in the mood."

Aisha rolled her eyes and lowered her head. "Fine. Order whatever you want." She lifted her head a little bit and watched Raven and Rena nod at each other. Those two were clearly thinking of something. Whatever it was, it evidently involved her alleged crush on Elsword – which was, without a doubt, the most absurd thing they could ever come up with.

"You guys are weird," Elsword said as he folded his arms. "Are you sure I didn't miss anything?"

"Just a bunch of stuff you don't have to know about," Rena chuckled again.

"Uh-huh," Elsword stated slowly and dismissively.

Aisha's lavender eyes wandered towards him. Could it be possible that she actually had the slightest bit of a crush on this guy? Sure, he was really good-looking. Girls might swoon whenever they see him. But his attitude was hate-worthy. He pissed her off, he acted like a nuisance and most of all he was the dumb prick that made her convince her parents to leave Velder.

"So… Aisha," Elsword suddenly said. "Why are you staring at me?"

Rena chuckled again.

"There's something on your face," Aisha said, defensively.

Elsword leaned back and began rubbing an invisible smudge off his face.

"It's gone now." Aisha averted her gaze this time in an attempt to conceal the lie she just told. Rena laughed some more.

Elsword seemed to get the message after that. "You little liar."

"Couldn't say it better myself," Aisha said, turning back to throw Elsword one of her triumphant smirks.

It wasn't long before Grail walked towards them with a tray of coffee and their food in tow. The smell was absolutely satisfying – it woke their senses in a jiffy. What a great way to jumpstart the day. "My assistant came in early so we managed to prepare these faster."

"You really need a waiter around here," Raven commented. He was eying the line of people that was slowly building up at the counter.

"I know but – this is Velder. Everyone else would rather work at the mall," Grail let out a frustrated huff.

Aisha's eyes widened. "I could work here!"

"No can do, girl. You're too smart for this establishment." Grail laid down the last of the coffee mugs and prepared to leave.

"But Grail! I really need a job!" Aisha stated. "I'm going to Velder High and—"

Grail spun around. "I don't want to waste your talent, young lady. You're better off someplace else."

"I don't have enough time." Aisha stood up. "Besides, you could use a helping hand."

Elsword chimed in, "Come on Grail, give her the job. She just moved in without her parents."

Grail lowered the tray and pressed it against his chest. "I see… Send me a resume later… I promise I will converse with my partner about it."

Elsword and Aisha looked a bit shocked as he made a run for the counter.

"After all these years, I was convinced that he solely owned the place," Elsword said.

"Me too," Aisha said as she sat back down. "By the way, thanks for the help back there. I appreciate it."

"No problem. You know me… I always want to look out for my friends."

Rena smiled. "How sweet! You two are finally getting along!"

"Yeah, cute." Raven picked up his mug of coffee and took a sip. "You might want to start drinking your cappuccino before it gets cold."

"Yes sir!" Elsword and Aisha said simultaneously. They proceeded to dig in to their breakfast.

 _Friends, huh? Close, but barely,_ Aisha thought. As stated previously, Elsword had his good points. She could be great friends with him if they overlooked their differences. They had this habit of bickering over unimportant matters. Sure, she hadn't gotten over his joke from three years ago but this was a good start. Maybe, just maybe, she could have a decent friendship with the guy.

"Elsword, stop feeding your cheeks. You have waffle crumbs all over your face."

"You love looking at me when I'm eating… Am I really that attractive to you?"

"Ugh… Gross. Just wipe your cheeks!"

Screw everything. They still have a long way to go.

….

Hi guys!  
Dianthus Nera here! I will be using this section to reply to reviews. I'll try to keep this as short as possible:

Arrow-Chan thanks for being my first reviewer. I'll try to keep this interesting for you and other peeps out there! I love your stories.  
Ragna0011 I'll do my best. Wouldn't want to be caught up in a lawsuit D:  
S.I.L If you have a fanfiction account, I would love to read your stories! Thanks for dropping by!

Please look forward to the next chapter!


	3. Motivated

**CHAPTER 3: MOTIVATED**

"Laptop, check."

"Notebooks?"

"All here. Uhm... Cellphone, check."

"Aisha, calm down."

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!"

Aisha paced back and forth in her bedroom. It was entirely in shambles. Boxes littered the ground. Books where everywhere. There were pieces of paper on the floor that required stacking.

This was a total nightmare. She didn't want to go to Velder High unprepared.

Elsword let out an exasperated huff as he watched Aisha walk around the room. "Aisha, you're overthinking. Just relax."

"That's the problem - I can't even relax with you watching me!"

"Hey, you needed help-"

"Correction: Rena told you that I needed help!" Aisha snapped matter-of-factly as she knelt down unloaded a bundle of books from inside a cardboard box.

"Well miss smarty-pants, did it ever occur to you that you couldn't carry all of these on your own?"

Aisha paused for a moment. "I could ask someone else to help-"

"Newsflash Aisha! This is Velder. Lots of bad things have happened here - especially to you. You really think some random stranger would help you with your baggage?"

Aisha sighed. He was right. "You have a point. Sorry."

"Now we're talking," Elsword bent over and started unloading another stack of books from the cardboard box. "What do you need these for anyway? You know that google exists, right?"

Aisha looked up for a moment. "Oh... Those are just novels."

"All of these?"

"Yep. A girl's gotta read."

"Wow. Have you ever thought about heading outside and meeting real people instead of the ones that just live in your head?" Elsword dropped the stack of books on an empty dresser. "I mean, that seems more convenient."

"Everyone needs a hobby Elsword. You have your stinking video games. I have my books."

Elsword laughed. "I think I'll let you borrow The Fall of Reach. Maybe it'll change your mind about my 'stinking video games'."

"This isn't exactly one of those high-end gaming devices you fanboys drool over on Facebook, Elsword," Aisha said, pointing at her still-unboxed laptop.

"The Fall of Reach is a book-"

"Oh."

"-About a Video Game."

Aisha thought for a moment before allowing her lips to curve up into a small smile. "Fine then. It might suffice."

"You should do that more often. Y'know... smile," Elsword said as he started arranging the books on Aisha's shelf based on their size. Since they were novels and none of them seemed to be related to one another, he figured she wouldn't care how he fixed them. "You're always frowning around me. Am I really that unlikeable?"

"Well no... You just..." Aisha scanned her brain for the proper word to use, but there was none. "To be honest, I don't know either. Sometimes you're a good guy. Other times, you're the opposite."

Elsword chuckled. "And here I was thinking that you had nothing but negative thoughts about me. You know... You're pretty cool, Ai. I'm really glad you became my friend."

"Uh-huh, you seem to enjoy pissing me off," Aisha said.

"You're cute when you're all pissed."

Aisha could feel her cheeks heat up. "D-D-Don't say that so casually!" She threw a book in his direction, which he gleefully dodged. "If you were talking to another girl, she'd get the wrong idea!"

Elsword laughed. "I'm not a kid anymore, Aisha. I know what I'm saying."

"You're only 16 so for the time being, you should listen to my advice!"

"Whatever, boss."

Aisha then dug into the contents of a small paper bag. "Before I forget... Take this..." She presented a small, metal keychain bearing the shape of a greatsword.

Elsword flashed a smirk. "So what does this mean? I'm your knight in shining armor now?"

Aisha shook her head. "No, you doofus! It's a thank you gift... for earlier!"

Elsword took the keychain from Aisha's grasp and eyed it thoroughly. "When did you get this anyway? I was with you the whole time."

Aisha blushed. "I bought it when you made a beeline for the restroom. I got one for Rena and Raven too. Mine's a staff."

"Let me guess... Rena's keychain is a bow and arrow?"

"Just a bow. She kind of reminds me of an elf so I thought it would be perfect for her. And I didn't know what else to pick so I grabbed this thing that was shaped like a claw for Raven."

"Huh," Elsword paused. "So what were you thinking when you picked this keychain for me?"

Aisha rolled her eyes at him. "Nothing special. I took it the moment I saw it."

Great. That's another dollar for the lie jar. His keychain was the first one she chose and she gave it a lot of thought before she took it to the counter with the others. Aisha had this strange notion that Elsword looked like a soldier from those Japanese video games she avoided like a plague. Elsword happened to remind her of the guys who would hold huge swords over their shoulders, wearing strong yet playful expressions on their faces. Although gaming did not appeal to her, she definitely loved the visuals.

"I really like it. Maybe you have a penchant for knowing what people like without asking them," Elsword said as he gave the object a once over. He then tucked the keychain into the pocket of his jeans. "Thanks, Ai."

"Yeah, yeah. Stop being a sap. My mind is more attuned to the jerk Elsword. Would you mind changing your personality now?" Aisha lifted two books from the box and placed them on the dresser.

Elsword sighed. "You're still a control freak."

Aisha never takes kindly to responses like that. "Says the guy who doesn't have a brain."

"At least I have a heart. Unlike you. I could see why you have no boyfriend."

"Like you have a girlfriend?"

Elsword smirked. "As a matter of fact, I do Aisha."

Aisha's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

...

Rule number one: never ever underestimate the enemy. Elsword stood exactly on the border line between friends and enemies, therefore he counted as one of the latter. Aisha nibbled on some lettuce as she thought about this over and over again. She had joined Rena for breakfast that day. The said girl would also be accompanying her to Velder high - not that either of them had any idea how to navigate the school. As far as Aisha could tell from the map she reviewed online, that place was huge and brimming with people. She might even run into the idiotic one who allowed herself to be seduced by that demon of a boy.

"I still can't believe he has a girlfriend," Aisha stated as she stuffed her face with more lettuce.

Rena smiled. "It's normal to be jealous, Aisha."

"I'm not jealous! I'm... sympathetic. I totally feel sorry for the girl!"

"Did he tell you her name?"

"He didn't mention anything," Aisha sighed in frustration. "But that's probably because I kicked him out of my room before he could utter a single word."

Rena chuckled. "My, my. You're too obvious, Ai..."

"Obvious about what?"

Rena maintained her smile. "Oh nothing..."

"I'm not jealous, Rena!"

"You shouldn't be denying it. It's only going to make matters worse," Rena said in a playful tone.

"Ugh," Aisha ruffled her hair and let her hands fold across her chest. "God, why am I even talking about this with you?"

Rena shrugged. "Would you rather talk about this with Elsword?"

"No."

"How about Raven?"

"He's too mean-looking."

"Aisha, you have to understand that it's okay to share your problems with other people. You've been on your own for far too long. Maybe you should learn to be a bit more dependent," Rena said, suddenly concerned. She looked down at her now-empty plate before her eyes drifted back to Aisha's lithe form. "I know that I'm still a stranger to you. But I really want to be your friend, Ai. I won't push you about this and that... All I'm saying is that you should be a bit more open, especially when it comes to things you don't quite understand..."

Aisha averted her gaze. "I just don't like what's going on, Rena. I've only been here for two days and yet I'm finding it hard to sort myself out." She inhaled sharply. "I guess this is what it feels like to be the new kid on the old block."

"Have you tried revisiting your other friends?" Rena asked.

"They don't live here anymore," Aisha said. "They're all experiencing better lives somewhere on the other side of the continent while I'm back here with Eldork."

"Don't you think you're making assumptions-?"

"I've been contacting them, Rena. I'm not that heartless. I don't leave people behind on a whim without regretting it. Elsword rejected all my calls back then. He probably hated me the most. He could still be hating me now," Aisha's voice strained.

Rena stood up and occupied the chair closest to Aisha. "Listen Aisha, I've known Elsword long enough. He doesn't hate you. Inside, he's probably happy that you came back. Sure, your reunion was rather unexpected but if he was mad at you, he would have made a huge fuss and left. He's got this fiery attitude that's a bit tough to handle."

"Yeah... He hasn't changed much, has he?" Aisha asked.

"Elsword has grown up a little bit since the first time I met him. He used to be a lot fiercer."

"What was he like back then?"

"Mostly sad... and angry. He was really protective of his friends," Rena said. "I could remember when he met Raven in the park. Back then, Raven had a lot of issues and Elsword confronted him about it. They had a huge fight and Elsword ended up winning even if he was much smaller. It was kind of unexpected, actually. A while after that, they had a long talk and suddenly, they're friends. Really close ones too."

Aisha bit the insides of her cheek. "Did he mention anything about me before?"

Rena shook her head. "If he did, I might have had the slightest idea as to who you were when we first met."

"I see." _He definitely hates me._

Rena noticed the frown on Aisha's face and allowed her lips to curve up into a small smile. "Aisha, lighten up... You're a positive person and I know for a fact that you're a good friend. Now is not the time to be pessimistic about your life. You're in Velder. This place might not have treated you nicely before... You might as well give it a second chance."

Aisha lowered her head. "I'm not sure if it's worth it... I'll only be here for a moment and then... then I'll be gone again."

"For crap's sake, make that moment count, Aisha," Rena's voice was brimming with passion. "There's a fire in you that no matter how many times you use it, it will never burn out! I see that flicker whenever you fight with Elsword. Be the strong person you are when you're in front of him!"

"You're right... Thanks for cheering me on," Aisha grinned. Regaining her composure and motivation, she threw a fist into the air. "I can totally do this!"

...

"I can't do this," Aisha drawled as she hid behind a tree close to Velder Academy. Looking at the front gate already made her shiver.

Calling it a palace would be an understatement. It was almost like a modern castle, with its surveillance cameras pointing in nearly every direction. The main building was a gargantuan structure that loomed over the entire area, its pinnacle pointing towards the sky. The walls were made of glass and stretched on for so long. Trees spanned the main gate up to the entrances of all the buildings. Navigating the entire school wouldn't be a breeze after all. Fortunately, there were security guards everywhere. Aisha probed for the proper questions to ask.

"I'm so excited! I wonder what's inside." Rena was getting giddy about the visitation.

"It's... just a school... An abnormally huge school for ridiculously rich people," Aisha stated whilst remaining wide-eyed.

"And ridiculously smart ones too, that's for sure," Rena said. "I can't imagine attending classes here."

"Which high school did you go to anyway?"

"Altera Academy," Rena voice had a hint of pride in it. "It's not as popular as Velder High but I'm proud of my achievements there."

"You're pretty smart too, Rena."

"Oh hush. Enough chit-chat. Shouldn't you be going inside?"

Aisha shook her head. "I think my stomach is turning to mush. Maybe I couldn't do this after all."

"Ugh," Rena grunted. "What happened to your motivation?"

"I probably drained it up when I realized what I've gotten myself into," Aisha fretted.

And suddenly they caught sight of a familiar shade of red walking towards the school ground without a care in the world. Right, Aisha almost forgot that Elsword was a kid with enough money and talent to actually attend Velder High.

"ELSWORD!" Rena bellowed.

The boy immediately turned his head toward the source. Aisha could only bang her head against the tree at the absurdity of her situation. She began muttering curses when he walked towards them.

"Huh. Chickening out, grapehead?" Elsword taunted. "I could have lent you a hard copy of the map of the school grounds but then again, you love to kick people out of your room before they could actually start helping you out."

"If you were so willing, you could have let me borrow it even if I kicked you out."

"Point taken. But I'm not obligated to lend stuff to you especially after you literally shoved my ass out of your house like I was some sort of garbage bag!"

"Stop it you two! You bicker and fight like kids on a Monday morning!"

They pointed at each other and simultaneously declared, "He/She started it!"

Rena placed a hand on her forehead. "Ugh… such a handful."

Aisha folded her hands across her chest and turned her head the other way with a grumble.

"Come on, Aisha! Now is not exactly the time to be like this! You need his help!" Rena begged.

"I thought you would be entering the school with me?!"

"Yes but you were being a fraidy-cat!" Rena asserted.

"So you _were_ chickening out!" Elsword exploded into laughter.

Aisha tried to whack the boy on the head with her hand. "I wasn't scared. I was nervous. Big difference, egghead!"

"Aisha, it's just a school!" Elsword patted her on the shoulder. "If you could act all tough in front of me, you could walk the halls of Velder High like a pro."

"Yeah, it's totally easy to avoid the judgmental gazes of the rich and the popular," Aisha flexed her hand back and forth in a sarcastic gesture.

"Friendly reminder: You're not the only scholar in there," Elsword looked toward the school ground. "As a matter of fact, you should be a bit more confident. You didn't get into the school out of pure luck. They knew what you were capable of." He paused for a moment and fixed his gaze on Aisha. "So are you going in or not?"

The girl stared at the ground and made lines on the soil with the tip of her sneaker. "Do you really think I'd fit in?"

"You've got me," Elsword pointed his thumb towards his chest. "Unless you want to treat me like a garbage bag again."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Aisha rubbed the nape of her neck sheepishly. "Let's head inside and find the principal's office."

"Lead the way Els!" Rena pointed towards their destination, wherever it may be. Aisha couldn't help but look on with a bit of pride. Things are only about to begin.

...

Hi guys! Apologies for the super late upload. This chapter was a bit rushed, hence the dialogues. Anyway, to my reviewers (KumihoKaien and AmariYae) :

Yes! I am guilty of making Aisha a tsundere! Because she's more adorable that way :D

Thank you all for reading 3


	4. Acceptance

**CHAPTER 4: ACCEPTANCE**

When Aisha entered the principal's office, it dawned on her that the simplicities of Velder High were on the inside. However, despite being a very clean, normal-looking office, the person it belonged to looked quite the opposite. Sitting on a big leather chair was Principal Stella – the iron lady of Velder High herself. Her propped up neatly into a tight bun. She wore a chestnut-colored blazer that pretty much hugged her figure. She was young, hair was and good-looking. One glance at her and you would mistake her for someone else entirely.

"You're a bright kid," Stella stated as she scanned a paper containing valuable records of all of Aisha's grades. "I'm not surprised Sandtilus Corporation offered you the scholarship. Your grades are excellent…"

"Thank you," Aisha stated, fidgeting.

Principal Stella looked up. "You're friends with Elsword?"

Aisha made sure to cast her eyes toward the redhead who was standing lazily near the exit. "Yes, I am."

"He's one of our best students in terms of physical education. He's not exactly a bright star in other subjects. Maybe you should teach him a thing or two," Principal Stella dropped the papers on her desk. "Welcome to Velder High, Aisha. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here. If you have any problems feel free to report to me at once."

"Thank you again, ma'am," Aisha reached out across the table and took Principal Stella's hand. Her grip was firm despite her skin being so soft. The handshake was short and brief… Kind of awkward really… But it was symbolic. Aisha tried to muffle the sigh of relief she let out when it was over.

…

"I'm a student of Velder High now," Aisha stated, clutching a bag that contained her uniform and student handbook. "I can't believe this."

"Yeah, yeah, welcome again to Velder High," Elsword said. "How many times have you mentioned you're going to study here?"

"This is a big deal for me El-diot. Unlike you, I couldn't afford to study here."

"Sure you could… Money can't pay for intelligence," Elsword said.

"So you're admitting I'm smart."

"You're a chicken, but yes, you're the smartest person I've ever met."

"Thanks," Aisha blushed and turned her head so that Elsword won't see. "And I'm not a chicken."

"You couldn't even enter the campus earlier!"

"I was just nervous!" Aisha looked around. "Look, I could prove that I'm not a scaredy cat. Are there bullies here? I'll beat them up for you!"

Elsword laughed. "You seriously think someone would bully me?"

"Yeah. You're pretty skinny for a guy."

"Doesn't matter. I could lift you easily," Elsword looked over at Aisha.

"Sure you can," Aisha mentioned sarcastically, rolling her eyes in the process.

Suddenly, Aisha was swept off her feet. Realizing she was being lifted off the ground, she screamed. Her fingers curled tightly around the handle of the bag she was holding. When she held her head up, Elsword was staring back at her with a smirk. And since she was so vulnerable given that he could drop her in an instant, she held on to his shirt in panic.

"Oh my freaking god, Elsword! Put me down! Don't drop me!"

"I won't drop you," Elsword stated. Then he laughed. "Your face is all red."

"That's because I'm terrified as heck. You didn't have to do this, idiot!" Aisha grappled for the rest of the fabric of his shirt. The moment she felt she was losing her balance, she panicked and allowed her arms to wound around Elsword's neck.

"You're just looking for an excuse to hug me," Elsword laughed again.

"Excuse me?! You're the one who carried me like this!" Aisha said. "Now let me go! Someone could see us!"

Elsword suddenly fell silent. Aisha could feel him lowering her. When her feet touched the ground, she felt very relieved. Her quickening heartbeat was slowly losing its pace – until Elsword wrapped his arms around her into a very loose hug. It was friendly and familiar – like a proper welcome from a child. "I really missed you, Ai. Make sure you don't go away again."

Aisha couldn't muster the proper words to say. She had planned on leaving the moment she graduated. And for the nth time, she was even more afraid of what could happen. Elsword was the key to making things even more difficult for her. And then she remembered something vital – something that would make things easier for her once again.

Elsword was already in love with someone.

"You know Aisha," Elsword rubbed his biceps. "You're kind of heavy."

"I'm going to spank you."

…

Aisha and Elsword left the school premises coldly. They waved goodbye to each other and went their own separate paths. Aisha could tell he was disappointed she didn't give him an answer despite his witty remark about her weight. He was still childish, after all.

She walked down the lengthy road back to her house. The silence was uncanny – kind of. Everywhere around her, memories played out like brief flashes of a previous reality. She remembered being happy here, then sad, then just plain furious. The twists and turns of her life seemed like a long roller coaster ride that lasted until the day her family left. And maybe she was thankful that she disappeared from this town where nothing mattered but money and fortune.

But then again, she once had friends here too. Friends who were willing to share their lunch with her, or talk to her about her problems, or tease her until she completely forgot about her own dilemmas. And Elsword – he was no exception. Then again, he was the person who drove her out…

It all happened after a small fight about travelling to other places. And Elsword happened to hear them talking about it.

" _Acting all rich now, are you? Your family couldn't even afford to stay here! You seriously think you could travel the world with what you have?"_

Apparently, the topic upset him, but that didn't give him the right to say such hurtful things. It damaged her pride. Even so, when her parents were packing up that night, she made no move to stop them. She just upped and left with them.

Maybe if ever she were to converse with Elsword again, the first thing she would do was to apologize.

Aisha shook her head. She definitely needed to rest.

…

"Aisha."

The morning sun stung her eyes but she made no move to open them. She could feel the keys of her laptop at the tip of her fingers. Did she fall asleep on the study table? God she should seriously stop overworking herself. Now's not exactly the right time to be stressed.

"Aisha…"

 _Who's that?_ Was she dreaming? Who the fuck would storm into her household at a time like this?

"Aisha, wake up."

Aisha opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. Her laptop was in front of her, but everything else was different. Looking down, she was wearing weird clothes and all. She was donning a long white coat and a purple skirt. Looking at her table, she realized her laptop was replaced by a long wand – her keychain. She was really dreaming!

"Aisha, you're late for our next mission."

"What? What mission?"

Elsword leered closer to her. His skin was tanned and there was a strange tattoo on his shoulder. His eyes burned red – like wildfire.

"I'm kidding." Elsword flicked her forehead. "You've been sleeping all afternoon. You should take a break from studying."

"Why are you… in my room?"

Elsword laughed. "You're spacing out, Ai. I'm allowed to be in your room."

"Huh?"

"Now you're starting to scare me," he chuckled and leaned his forehead against hers before pressing a chaste kiss on her lips. It was so painstakingly short but it was enough to elicit a burning sensation from her chest up to her cheeks. He let his fingers slip into her palm, gripping them tightly so that Aisha could feel the cool metal ring that he was wearing. "We're married, Ai."

…

The alarm blared loudly. So loud that when Aisha shot up, she slapped it down and kicked it until it stopped. Staring back at her desk, she realized she had left her laptop on but it was on sleep. She pressed on the power button for the sake of making sure the laptop was real.

When the screen flared to life, she sat herself back down to recheck her mail. The resume she sent to Grail was there. Even more importantly, there was a response.

She was accepted.

But then again, there was another message from a certain Ara Haan. Attached to it was a picture of a uniform.

" _Dear Aisha,_

 _Congratulations on entering Velder High! And thank you for your interest in applying as a waitress for Grail's.. ^^_

 _Don't worry; I won't make you wear anything weird. But for the sake of attracting more customers on weekends, I'll advice you to try this on!_

 _Kind regards,_

 _Ara Haan. "_

The image contained a maid costume.

Looks like Aisha would have to keep the others away from Grail's during the weekend. Otherwise, she would never hear the end of this.

…

Hi guys! I'm making terrible progress with this story, but yes. Here's an update! Thank you so much for the reviews. (10-review milestone! Wahoo!)

Yes that was a dream sequence and it's actually a driving factor for Aisha to accept her underlying feelings for Elsword. This is an ElsxAi story, mind you. ^^ Thanks for supporting Outlines!


	5. Notes

**CHAPTER 5 - NOTES**

Aisha joined Rena for breakfast again that morning. She was beyond pumped to visit Grail's that when she knocked on her neighbor's door, she was humming various tunes to signify that she was in such a good mood. Rena was always so welcoming that this might become a daily routine – not that either of them had a problem with it. Furthermore, talking with Rena distracted her from problematic matters – like that weird dream. No one ought to know about that.

Besides, Rena had promised Aisha breakfast after she totally abandoned her at Velder High the day before. Apparently, Raven had some issues and Rena had to come to the rescue. The phone call and the tone in her voice suggested that things were pretty serious. Furthermore, girl intuitions could detect if someone was lying. And so, even if it was against Aisha's will, Rena definitely had to leave.

Aisha scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes as Rena fidgeted with her hair.

"Sorry again about yesterday." Rena's voice came out low.

"It's no big deal," Aisha said. "Thanks for the mashed potatoes. They taste great."

"I'm glad you think so." Rena sighed. "So how'd things go?"

Aisha swallowed another spoon of potatoes, relishing the taste it left on her tongue. Then she spoke again, "The principal re-checked my grades and personally handed me my uniform. Then we left."

"That's it?" Rena asked.

"Were you expecting something else?" Aisha inquired.

Rena chuckled. "Not really. I was hoping that you two would talk it out so that my leaving you won't be for naught."

Aisha let out a chuckle of her own. "Don't tell me you left me on purpose?"

"No! Definitely—"

"Naught?"

Aisha and Rena laughed at their sloppy attempt at humor. For the most part, they were glad nobody heard them. It was embarrassingly fun for the two of them to exchange such lame puns across the table. As their laughter died down, Aisha realized that she missed this – conversing casually, ignoring the food and just enjoying the company of another person. It's been so long. It made her want to cry.

It took a moment before she realized that tears had actually started to fall from her eyes. Curse them for being so damned uncontrollable. One by one, they smeared lines down her face.

"I'm sorry, Rena," Aisha managed a small laugh as she wiped the droplets off her cheeks. "I can't help it. I'm being dramatic again."

Rena looked at her and smiled. "Aisha, it's okay. You could let it all out…"

"But I'm fine," Aisha said. When she wiped the last tear with the back of her hand, she realized how light she felt. It was as if something heavy had lifted itself off of her chest. Still, she could tell that it wasn't over. And even if she had but one friend she could really trust, she knew she could manage. "I'm going to be just fine."

"Aisha," Rena began. "I know that I'm being meddlesome when it comes to things – like your past with Elsword. I just want you two to get along again."

"We are getting along," Aisha said. "We insult each other a lot. Trust me, that's normal."

Rena watched as Aisha scooped up her last spoon of mashed potatoes. She spoke once more, "I don't know about that. It feels like something's missing."

The purple-haired girl fell silent. Suddenly, the mashed potatoes felt a tad bit tasteless and cold in her mouth.

…

Grail's usually had a handful of customers, but the line had always been long. This was because Grail, the cashier-slash-waiter-slash-owner, had a lot of obligations to fulfill. But today was the day his duties will be halved. Now he could just stick to manning his cashier. Maybe then, punks would stop trying to steal money from the register. The guy could take care of those kinds of people, but it would be better if he could avoid them totally.

Aisha peered into the cafe, trying hard not to look like she was cutting into the line. She wasn't there to eat anyway – she was there to serve. The moment she entered inside, the intoxicating scent of coffee beans threatened to lull her. She snapped out of it quickly and waded her way to cashier. Along the way, a customer yelled at her to head back to the end of the line. Aisha turned and gave the person (whoever it was) a very sharp glare.

"Young one! You're here!" Grail shouted from the counter. Aisha skipped happily toward him. "My partner is waiting for you over there." He pointed to the other end of the place. Aisha's gaze traced the direction to which he was pointing and she found a lone girl sitting and waving at her.

"Go on now. Introduce yourself. I could use an extra hand later on."

"Roger that," Aisha stated nervously. She quickened her pace towards the girl – probably the one who sent her the weird e-mail. Though, like the people she had encountered so far, this one was pretty perfect as well. Her long, black hair was combed in place. Her eyes were so doll-like and they sparkled with enthusiasm. She was well-endowed too. Aisha could feel her face turn green with envy.

"Please sit, Aisha," the girl said. "You look even prettier in person."

"Uhm… Thanks," Aisha retorted. "It cheers me up to hear that, coming from someone like you."

The girl smiled even more. "I like you already. You sound like an honest person, Aisha. Grail told me you're very smart. My name is Ara, by the way. Ara Haan. I'm his business partner."

"I never knew he had a business partner," Aisha said. "Well… not until he mentioned it to me when I told him I wanted to work here."

"Frankly speaking, he does own most of the café. I was the one who decided to use his name. It was very fitting," Ara said. "So… are you ready to work here?"

"Very," Aisha said, her eyes gleaming with determination. "You have no idea. I wasn't expecting to get a job this fast."

"What do you think about the uniform you're going to wear on weekends?"

"Ah about that… I think it doesn't suit me at all," Aisha answered instinctively.

"Nonsense! You're going to look cute in it!" Ara stated. "I thought so the moment I looked at your picture in your resume. And because it's Sunday today—"

…

Aisha walked out of the dressing area in the locker room. She could feel the embarrassment crawling under her skin. The dress was absolutely outrageous – frills everywhere! It was pretty but it made her feel uncomfortable. It would also be a shame if it got stained but there were three more dresses waiting to be worn in her locker. The fabric was soft and velvety to the touch. Astonishingly, it felt light despite having so many details. There was a giant bow behind her that might become an inconvenience later on.

"I look like I belong in a circus."

Aisha stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair had been tied up into a neat bun, with pins to secure it from falling. The dress looked a lot simpler once worn, thankfully. It almost made her appear like a ballerina.

Ara laughed. "It's perfect! Now go on. There are customers to attend to!"

"Will you be here later?" Aisha asked.

Ara's expression changed from happy to sad in an instant. "Sorry, Aisha… I'm really busy…. But we'll meet again, I promise! Now go… Grail needs you right now."

The girl gave Aisha a small push outside of the locker room and into the kitchen.

There were two chefs working to and fro as she went. With the time she had, Aisha quickly admired how fast they were able to prepare such complicated dishes. Then she finally made it out and found herself next to the cashier where a tray of waffles and coffee was waiting.

"Take these to table number 3," Grail stated, beaming. Aisha could tell he was happy to be able to secure his cashier. Aisha gave him a smile before gathering the tray into her hand and walking towards the designated table. She was already used to this. Nothing could stand in her way!

…

After two hours of wiping tables and sweeping the clutter off the wooden floors of the café, Aisha couldn't feel her legs at all. Some customers could be so irresponsible. But some of them were nice enough to leave thank you notes and, with it, a huge tip. Aisha picked up a more recent note from a kid, telling her that she looked pretty and that she should smile. The note warmed her heart more than anything else.

She walked to Grail and told him to have a look.

"This town still has a piece of its own heart, after all," Grail grinned. "You should keep it safe and well. It's a wonderful memorabilia."

Aisha stared at the letter. The handwriting was kind of crude but, coming from a child, the letters stood out nicely.

"I'm so happy with how composed you are, young one," Grail said. "And thank God for idle hours. I think you deserve a lot of rest after working so hard."

Aisha breathed out a sigh of relief. "I'm just glad my friends aren't here. They'd make fun of me."

Grail laughed. "You do not take kindly to insults, I believe…"

"It's not like that," Aisha shook her head. "Sometimes they go a little too far. It gets on my nerves."

"I see," Grail was grinning but something about his expression told Aisha that he was turning a lot more serious. He shuffled for something underneath the cash register and produced a small pipe. He began applying crushed tobacco leaves into the opening on the other end before proceeding to light it up. "You know, sometimes friends are like that. They remind you of your own flaws. It helps keep your feet on the ground, you know? And most of the time – it helps you understand yourself. In the end, it will make you realize that maybe, just maybe, they're right about something."

Aisha frowned. "Grail, do you think I'm mature enough to handle my own feelings?"

Grail glanced at Aisha as he huffed and puffed out a smoke circle. "No, young one. You still have a long way to go…"

Aisha's eyes drifted to the tips of her fingers. They were soft despite the fact that, with the amount of things she's been through, they should be rough and calloused by now. Maybe Grail was right – maybe being an adult required more than just work and life experiences.

"Speaking of which, one of your friends was here earlier," Grail said. "He just went to greet someone and left. You were in the restroom when he came in."

"My friend?" Aisha asked.

Grail puffed out another smoke circle. The room was beginning to smell like tobacco. "Yes… the red-haired one."

…

 _The red-haired one._

Aisha blushed as she worked on another advanced trigonometry formula. Her hand was getting tired from punching all those numbers on her scientific calculator. How long has she been at this anyway? The moment she got home, she couldn't stop thinking about what Grail said. She had to do something to keep the words off of her mind.

 _The red-haired one._ He was definitely referring to Elsword.

Aisha's eyes fell on the shelf where a mason jar sat, containing the note from earlier. It dawned on her that the hand-writing could have been an evolution of Elsword's ill penmanship. But why would he write something so freaking adorable? To mess with her, perhaps? Then again, the very idea that he would do something like that was downright absurd. Elsword was a jerk, no doubt about that. There was no way he would write something cute, and then give it to an unsuspecting little kid so that he could get away with the act. It was so out of character… So "un-Elsword."

Aisha let out a frustrated cry and ruffled her hair before frantically punching the buttons of her calculator. There was no way Elsword could pull off something like that. No way.

Aisha gave up and closed her book. She was tired and there was no reason for her to stress herself out. Tomorrow was her first day at Velder High. She needed to stop thinking and just relax. No notes, no red-haired boys and no hopelessly romantic thoughts…

…

Hi everyone! Here's an update and thank you so much for supporting this story! I'm very grateful for your reviews.

Yoshida-kun thanks for that wonderful comment regarding my story! I'll keep doing my best from this point on. And yes, you made a lot of sense. Thank you again!

I'm going to leave it up to you guys to think about whether or not a child wrote that note.


	6. Friends

**CHAPTER 6 – FRIENDS**

Aisha's eyes blinked open to an overwhelming coolness. The sun didn't sting her eyes any longer thanks to the curtains and the gray clouds that shielded its glow. She pulled herself up and stretched, letting out a huge, ungraceful yawn. Suddenly, she heard a small "thump" coming from her window. Thinking it was just some sort of twig that flew against the glass, she ignored it. But that lasted shortly, as another thump, much heavier than the previous one, followed.

"The heck," she mumbled.

She crawled across her miniscule bed and peered outside the window. It was Elsword – in a freaking school uniform. Aisha wiped her face with her bare hands and groaned in frustration. "What does he want with me now?" And then she remembered – uniform, 7 in the morning… School starts in freaking 45 minutes!

Aisha opened her bedroom window. "I'll be there in a sec!"

She checked her alarm. Holy shit, she hadn't adjusted it yet. It was still set to wake her up at 7:30! With only less than 45 minutes at her disposal, she knew she was going to be late. She takes a freaking long time to dress herself and look… well, decent!

She hurried to the shower room and bathed as fast as she could. She just popped on the shampoo and conditioner, squeezed out some liquid soap and scrubbed herself off in as little time as she could. As for the uniforms – they're all unwashed. She'd have to live with walking to school in those for an entire week. Heading to Velder at a very late time was such a bad idea.

She put the clothes on and sprayed the same old cotton candy perfume. She sat herself and brought out hair ties and began yanking out her strands in an attempt to move quickly.

"Aisha!" Elsword called out from below. "We're gonna be late!"

Aisha sauntered to the window and opened it, "I'm hurrying! Shut up!"

She did her hair into pigtails and observed if there was anything missing in the uniform. She smiled at herself and grabbed a small back containing everything she might need. Clutching her ID lace and the house keys, she hurried down the stairs. When she opened the door, Elsword gave her a rather impatient look.

"I didn't ask you to take me to school," Aisha stated.

"Good morning to you too," Elsword replied. "What took you so long?"

"In case you're forgetting, I still have to take a bath and look presentable El-diot," Aisha snapped back.

"Okay, sheesh. You don't have to be your usual self at a time like this," Elsword said. He then pointed to the car parked in Rena's driveway. "Get in the car."

"You have a car?" Aisha was rather dumbfounded.

"Sure I do. What'd you expect?"

"Hmm… I wasn't expecting you to have one. Aren't you supposed to drive your girlfriend to school this morning?"

"She has one of those guys that could drive her or something."

"A chauffeur? Seriously?" _How rich is she?!_

"Yeah, that's the fancy word for it. Her family owns this huge company and they want her barricaded – most of the time. It's annoying," Elsword said. "Now come on, we have to get going."

"School's pretty close you know."

"We barely have 5 minutes to get there thanks to you. Let's go."

…

Velder high was large, but it was scarcely populated. That was because it's a known fact that you either have to be rich or incredibly intelligent to get in. After all, you have everything laid out for you if you study here. The teachers are great, the food is great, the environment, the facilities – they're all great. The only thing that's not as great is the tuition fee but from the perspective of the students, it's reasonable.

Elsword and Aisha flashed their IDs for the security guard to inspect before proceeding further into the school grounds. Every so often, girls and boys would wave at Elsword's car.

"You're pretty popular around here," Aisha stated.

"Surprised?"

"Eh… I kind of knew… You're good-looking after all."

Elsword laughed before going back to scanning his surroundings for a parking space. "You really think so?"

"Yeah… Just don't let that get to your head," Aisha said, folding her arms. "What's your first class?"

"Ditching."

In response to this, the girl dealt a swift smack to the back of her friend's head.

"Ouch."

"You deserved that," Aisha said. "Seriously, what's your first class?"

Elsword rubbed the back of his head and looked around, hoping that nobody saw what Aisha just did. Reputation was valuable after all – nothing's more embarrassing than getting hit by a complete nerd.

"It's math… Algebra or something… I don't know. Are you scared that I'm going to be your classmate?"

"I'm a graduating senior, doofus. We're not going to see each other much around here."

"Sad. I hope you don't have a hard time making friends with that attitude of yours."

"Oh, trust me good sir. I'm going to do just fine on my own."

"Really…? 'Cause if you need friends, I know a bunch of people you could talk to—"

Elsword suddenly stopped walking and stared at the path ahead. There was a girl leaning against the wall – her hair was dyed pink and done up into two neat pigtails. Her uniform was fitted and unbuttoned all the way below the collar, revealing the padded bra below. Weren't students like her supposed to get kicked out first thing?

"Sheesh." Aisha said, out loud. "Don't tell me she's your girlfriend."

"Actually," Elsword looked over at Aisha. "She is…"

As if on cue, the girl started strutting towards them. The hems of her skirt bellowed beneath her, revealing more of her voluptuous thighs. Aisha, being the judgmental little girl that she was, thought she looked like a hooker in a school uniform. Be that as it may, there was something about her that spelled out the "danger" in dangerous.

"What took you so long?" The girl cooed, her eyes throwing malicious glances towards Aisha. "And who's the girl?"

"She's a friend of mine," Elsword said. "Her name's Aisha."

The girl wrapped an arm around Elsword's, making sure she hugged his bicep nicely. "Huh… I don't like the way she's staring at me."

"She's a senior… "

"Oh…" Elsword's girlfriend looked Aisha up to down. "Hello, senior."

 _What a bitch_. Aisha thought. "Hi… "

"I'm Karis, by the way." Karis extended her other hand towards Aisha. "Don't worry, I don't bite."

Aisha took her hand and shook it. She could feel the girl's lengthy fingernails against the palm of her hands.

"We're going to be great friends," Karis stated. Aisha could feel absolutely no sincerity in her voice. She turned towards Elsword. "Come on now… We're already late. Best we all attend our classes." She tilted her head to the side to give Aisha one last look. "And it was nice meeting you, _senior_."

"You sure you're going to be fine?" Elsword asked.

"Yes… Now go on. I don't want to be tardier than I already am." Aisha could feel her face fuming. There was definitely passive-aggressive tone whenever Karis spoke. What did she do to the girl aside from mentally judge her? It's not as if bitches could read minds… unless they're fucking psychic. Not wanting to stand at the entrance any longer, Aisha waved at Elsword's back and left posthaste. She was late, her day was ruined and she just met her worst enemy.

…

Lunch time - and Aisha's bad day could only proceed to get even worse. The cafeteria wasn't full, but people were sitting in groups and she'd rather not sit alone. It would make her look uncool or unfriendly – whatever term she didn't want to be described as. She held her tray away from her uniform as she walked away from the lunch lady. Looking around, she found a lone girl in the middle of a sea of peers. Not wanting to waste time, she walked towards her new target.

"Hi… Mind if I sit here?" She asked.

The girl looked up at her. "Yeah… Sure…" Then she began to shift to the side.

"Oh no… If it's going to be awkward for you I could just sit on the other bench." Aisha stated.

"It's okay," the girl stated, bluntly. "I don't want to be alone here."

Aisha cleared her throat and sat herself on the empty space beside the girl. "My name's Aisha, by the way. New student…"

"I see," The girl said. Her voice was quiet and pretty… emotionless. How weird.

Aisha began by munching on the garlic bread she had on her tray. It was ridiculously good – you'd think they'd never serve something like that in a cafeteria. Also, if she didn't start doing anything, it's only going to get more awkward for her.

"My name's Eve."

Aisha looked to the side. "11th Grade?"

"12th, actually… We were in the same class earlier." Eve stated.

"Oh." Aisha frowned, embarrassed that she was talking to someone she hardly even noticed earlier. But that was understandable – maybe both of them were too focused on not talking to anyone else.

"I was kind of surprised when you walked in. We're in the same grade but I doubt I've ever seen you around here." Eve continued speaking in a poker-faced expression, but her voice always came out soft and timid.

"I just got into the scholarship program," Aisha stated.

"Oh… that's probably the reason why we're having this conversation," Eve stated. "Not many people talk to scholars here."

Aisha finished a slice of the garlic bread and began sipping on her orange juice. When she was done, she re-instigated the discussion, "What are the people like over here?"

Eve looked down. "They're… stupid."

"Uh-huh…" _I couldn't help but agree more._

"Some of them are nice, but most of them are arrogant, spiteful beings that rely on their parents' money to survive."

"Do you have any friends here?"

Eve shook her head.

"Why not?" Aisha asked.

"I don't want to make friends with stupid people."

Aisha was taken aback by the sudden jab – not that she was affected by it. She was very much aware of her own capabilities. But Eve was different – she was cute and confident. She didn't speak a lot but her choice of words belonged to someone who had the potential to become the next "queen bee". That bitch Karis had better not mess with her.

"So… could I be friends with you?" Aisha stated, mentally crossing her fingers.

"Aisha, you're not like the others. I would love to be friends with you." Eve said, looking at Aisha with the slightest hint of a smile on her face.

Aisha returned the smile with an even bigger one of her own. She was so happy, she could pump a fist in the air and yell, "Take that El-dork!" But apparently, she'd have to wait until she could rub it into the redhead's face that she had made a friend that day.

…

That afternoon, after school, Aisha and Eve waved goodbye to each other. They had promised to have study sessions at Aisha's place during weekends. Something about it made Aisha even more excited. Maybe she'd introduce her to Rena and they'd all have dinner together.

As Aisha waited to board the bus bound for another side of town, another guy had joined her underneath the waiting shed. He was wearing the signature Velder High uniform. Aisha sighed and shifted away. Unfortunately, he probably noticed this.

"Sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable," he said.

"Sorry if I offended you," Aisha stated back.

"The guy looked at her. "Nah… I'm not offended in the slightest. You're a senior right? I saw you with Eve earlier."

"You know Eve?"

"I barely talk to her, but yes, I know her. She scares me."

Aisha let out a short giggle. "She's nice if you speak to her."

She turned her head so that she could get an even better look at the guy. He was certainly shorter in stature than most boys. Above that, he had such a kind face – he almost looked like a girl. His blond hair spiked in all kinds of directions. And his eyes – they were bluer than any ocean. Aisha's breath hitched.

"I think I've seen you before," the guy said. "At Grail's…"

Aisha blushed and looked away. "Yeah I work part-time as a waitress. On weekends, I wear a stupid dress."

The guy laughed. "I knew I recognized you. I'm Chung, by the way. Chung Seiker."

"Nice to meet you," Aisha smiled nervously. "I'm Aisha."

"What's it like working for Ara Haan?"

"You know my boss?"

"I've been friends with her for a while…"

Aisha's eyes darted to the roof of the waiting shed. "Well for the most part, she seems nice and smart. She's tall… attractive… She's busy with all kinds of things."

Chung sighed. "That's Ara for you… always busy. No thanks to her idiot of a brother."

"Uhm… I don't think it's okay for you to be telling me this. We've just met. And she's still my boss after all."

Chung smiled again. "I trust that you're not the kind of person who spills secrets. Also, I've wanted to tell someone about this for a long time now."

Aisha opened her mouth to say something but she was cut off by the horn of a bus.

"We should continue this conversation in the bus," Chung stated. "But before we get on, I have to reveal my biggest secret to you. Never mind the fact that we've just met. I need to say it."

The bus screeched to a stop next to the waiting shed and the door hissed open. Meanwhile, Chung leaned closer to Aisha and whispered in her ear. "I'm in love with Ara Haan."

…

 _There you have it guys – chapter 6! I'm sorry if you don't ship Chung x Ara_ _No flaming please T.T Also, yes Elsword's girlfriend is Karis. I was considering Eve since she's been a popular rival in the community but I'd hate for her to be the bad guy…_

 _Thanks for the support again! Love, Dianthus Nera._


	7. A New World

" _I'm in love with Ara Haan."_

Aisha was taken aback by the sudden confession. Still, she managed to control her voice as she uttered her question whilst in the process of climbing the short steps up the PUV in front of them. "Why are you telling me this? That's not something you just blurt out to someone you barely even know!"

Chung shrugged as he followed suit. "I really just needed to get it off my chest."

"You realize that every time I see my boss, I wouldn't be able to shake off the image of your face looking dreamily at her?"

Chung laughed.

Eventually, the two of them found seats at the very back of the bus.

"And you haven't told this to anyone else but me? Why me of all people?"

"Like I said, you looked like someone who wouldn't spill secrets."

Aisha let out a huff. "I wouldn't spill secrets because I barely have any friends to spill them to."

"You're friends with Eve, right?"

"I'm not sure if we've made it past the acquaintance stage yet. But I would very much love for her to be my friend. As in a _real_ friend."

"The very fact that you managed to talk to her earlier means that you're on the right path. Things have been pretty rough for her. I heard that someone was bullying her last year… or was that two years ago? I'm not sure. Anyway, the guy received nothing but a hand to his cheek. It was pretty embarrassing for him. But it ended up backfiring because now, no one would even dare to come near her."

"What did he do to her?"

"It wasn't a matter of what he did to her - rather, it was what he was saying. I guess, he was trying to look cool because of his girlfriend, Karin. One thing led to another, and then Eve suddenly walked over and gave him a good smack."

"Karin? You're talking about Elsword."

"Yeah, that's his name! Though he changed after that. Still popular, but not as much of a jerk as he used to be."

"So you're scared of her because of that incident?"

"Not really. I'm scared because she looks strict." Chung rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Aisha smiled. At least, even if he didn't talk to her, he wasn't like the others. He had his own reasons. "Join us for lunch tomorrow. You'll get to know her better."

Chung smiled. "We'll see about that."

Aisha and Chung's small conversation finally came to an end and after that, there was only silence - but it wasn't the awkward kind. It was the weird, comfortable kind that you get after conversing with someone you consider a friend. For a few minutes, it stayed that way, with Chung making comments about interesting passers-by along the way and Aisha paying heed to his every word whenever they struck.

And then the bus came to a stop.

Before they made the slow descent out of the bus, Aisha turned around. "Thanks for the wonderful conversation, Chung. I'll send your regards to Ara."

Chung smiled. "Thanks Aisha. See you tomorrow?"

Aisha hopped off the bus and gave her new friend a small wave as he prepared to walk the opposite direction. "See you!"

Once again, Aisha was off to Grail's… to start an entirely new journey in Velder.

…

Later that evening, after her shift, Aisha decided to pay a visit to Rena and tell her about the things that went on during the day - leaving out the details that she needed to keep secret. She was so excited about it that she unconsciously started walking towards Rena's house. Upon realizing that it wasn't her lawn she was walking on, she decided to disregard her mistake and ring the doorbell.

"Coming!" Elsword's voice boomed from somewhere inside.

 _Great. The last thing I needed was to see his face._ Aisha thought to herself in an attempt to ignore her gradually increasing heartbeat.

Sure enough, Elsword's smile turned into an arrogant smirk the moment he opened the door and his eyes fell upon the purple-haired girl. "Well, what do we have here? Came to see me?"

"Shut up, El-jerk. I just wanted to talk to Rena!"

"Rena's not here yet. And so is Raven. Guess they're having issues at the restaurant they're managing."

As much as Aisha was intrigued upon finding out that both Raven and Rena were managing a restaurant somewhere out there, she didn't want to ruin her evening because of this redhead.

"Well in that case," Aisha stepped away from the doorway. "I guess I'll take my leave."

Elsword grabbed her arm before she could take another step further. "You idiot, you're seriously gonna leave me alone here?"

Aisha yanked her arm back and folded her arms. "Well, what were you doing alone in there in the first place?"

"They told me to watch over the house. " Elsword suddenly had a flustered look on his face. "And I was waiting for you too."

Aisha tried to keep her composure but she could swear she could mentally feel her jaw dropping. "But why?!"

"Duh! I wanted to hear how your day went!" Elsword yanked her arm again. "Now come on! Stop wasting time!"

Without another word, Elsword had pulled her into Rena and Raven's house like it wasn't that big of a deal. After which, Aisha yanked herself away from him again and began dusting herself off as if she had just come in contact with something dirty.

"I hate it when you do that."

"Ugh, this is why I didn't want to spend the evening with you. You have the tendency to complain a lot."

"Well your actions give people all the bad signals. This is why you never make any friends."

Aisha walked over to the sofa and threw herself on it, allowing her back to rest in its comfort. Elsword followed her shortly, invading the small space next to her.

"Hey! Go take the smaller couches idiot! I don't want you sitting next to me!" Aisha screeched.

"Whatever, Ai," Elsword stated, yanking her closer and leaning his head on her shoulder casually.

"Aren't you getting too comfortable?" Aisha stated, silently hoping that he doesn't see the reddish glow on her cheeks.

"Just let me stay like this for a moment." Elsword said, his voice suddenly coming out raspy - like he was really tired. "So how'd your day go?"

"It went by just fine. I made an acquaintance or two…"

Elsword let out a chuckle. "Just call them your friends, Ai. You don't have to be so guarded."

Aisha sighed. "I also ended up finding out a thing or two about you… Or better yet, about who you were."

Elsword suddenly sat up. "They probably told you about how much of a jerk I was, huh?"

"I didn't get a lot of details but yeah… I guess I got the hint."

Elsword returned to leaning his head on her shoulder. "Man that's so embarrassing."

Aisha frowned. "Well, you did change… a little. You maintained a bit of your arrogance but I guess you've matured somehow."

"You really think so?"

"I know a bit of the old you and the current you so I have every right to compare both Elswords, right?"

Elsword inhaled loudly. "This might be a weird question, Ai but which one do you like better?"

"None." Aisha stated flatly.

"That's not fair!"

"What's not fair is that I still don't know you all too well."

Elsword shifted, burying his head deeper into her neck. "You know me better than I know myself, Ai."

Silence.

"I have a question for you too," Aisha muttered.

"Well? What is it?"

"Why are you dating someone like Karin?"

Elsword suddenly removed his head from her shoulder and decided to place it on Aisha's lap instead.

"Elsword!" Aisha yelled, trying to push him off. Great! Now he'll be able to see the irremovable redness on her face.

"I'll answer your question if you let me stay like this," Elsword stated, looking up at her from his position.

"Okay. F-Fine!" Aisha stated, embarrassed.

Elsword shifted a little and started talking, "To be honest, I don't even remember why I started dating her. I just know that right now, breaking up with her is impossible."

"Why not?"

"That's not your concern, Ai."

"Sure it is! I'm like your big sister or something…" Admittedly though, her own words hurt. It was like she was friendzoning herself.

Elsword sighed. "Right now, I'm more focused on changing her. So that when I actually break things off with her, I'll leave her with lessons. "

"Isn't that like a poor excuse? I mean, what if you're not the kind of person who could change her?"

"I've thought about that as well…" Elsword paused. "Maybe I still like her."

 _Ouch._

Aisha inhaled deeply, unconsciously beginning to play with the strands of Elsword's hair. "Hey, El-diot… Just curious... What's to like about her?"

"To be honest, I don't know anymore."

Aisha leaned her head back and slowly started to relax, ignoring the fact that this conversation was kind of painful for her. Even as she told herself to calm down, their little exchange sent small, aching pangs to her heart.

"You want to watch a movie, Aisha?"

"It's a school day, Elsword. I need to study."

"It's the first day of school, they don't give you assignments for what? A week?"

"I do advanced reading."

Elsword propped himself up. "You do more than just advanced reading, Ai. Can't you just relax for once?"

Aisha fell silent.

"Oh, come on, Ai! Lighten up! It's not like you're going to do this every day. Let's watch a movie."

"Okay. Fine. But just this once, alright?"

"Alright!" Elsword rushed to the TV and started poring through the DVDs in the shelf beneath it, pulling out one from the middle. "I'm going to put on Captain America if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, do whatever you like," Aisha said. "I haven't watched that yet so don't spoil me."

"To be young and not have watched Captain America. What kind of world did you live in?"

"My own."

Elsword smiled at her while turning on the TV and the DVD player in subsequent motion. Then he returned to her side, allowing himself to put one of his arms around her shoulder. This caused her to stiffen a little.

"Well, Aisha. Your world wouldn't be so boring from now on because I'm in it!"

Aisha gazed up at the redhead and she started to relax again. "Thanks, Elsword."

"You're welcome."

In the confines of Rena's house, the film started to play. During that still moment, all of Aisha's problems slowly faded away in the background. A day well spent, indeed.

...

 _Hi guys! Sorry for the incredibly long hiatus but... HERE'S THE UPDATE! Yay! I had a lot of personal stuff to attend to but I promise I will update this story and I'll do my best to do this regularly. I'm really sorry T_T_

 _Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for the continuous support!_


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